Identification of mutants for abnormal pollen development in rice

Abstract

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the genetic regulation of male gametogenesis, we screened and identified mutants for abnormal pollen development in rice (Oryza sativa L.). We gamma-irradiated spikelets of a japonica rice cultivar, Taichung 65, just before and after anthesis. Among 1,000 M2 lines, 24 lines were identified as mutants for pollen sterility. Progeny tests in M3 demonstrated that pollen sterility in 12 lines was controlled by single recessive genes, designated sps1-sps12 (sporophytic pollen sterility). In the remaining 12 lines, pollen semi-sterility was under the control of gametophytic genes, designated gps1-gps12 (gametophytic pollen sterility). Linkage analysis revealed that sps6, sps9, and sps12 were mapped on chromosomes 3, 9, and 7, respectively.